Text Size

BOEHNER, CANTOR STRUGGLE TO CORRAL HOUSE – The GOP leaders were forced to postpone a vote to keep the government running after conservatives in their caucus balked at their approach. POLITICO’s Jake Sherman and John Bresnahan have the story: “There are times when it looks like Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor have no idea how to run the House Republican Conference. In just two frantic days, rank-and-file House Republicans sidelined leadership’s plan to fund the government and take another nonbinding, quixotic vote on defunding President Barack Obama’s signature health care law. These Republicans said the leadership plan is too weak, lacks a long-term strategy and is akin to waving a white flag on Obamacare.

-- “The skirmish is yet another example of how few Republicans are willing to follow Boehner and Cantor’s lead during tough legislative fights. And in practical terms, the rejection of what became known as the Cantor Plan — a continuing resolution, with an unattached provision to defund Obamacare — makes it more likely that the House and Senate will be at loggerheads with a government shutdown looming on Sept. 30. A clearly frustrated Boehner seemed to realize that he leads a conference where no plan is quite good enough. There are frequently about 30 Republicans who oppose leadership’s carefully crafted plans — just enough to mess things up. A reporter asked him whether he has a new idea to resolve the government funding fight. He laughed and said, ‘No.’ ‘Do you have an idea?’ he asked the reporters. ‘They’ll just shoot it down anyway.’ …

-- “It’s a pattern that’s played out over the course of this Congress. Boehner and Cantor propose a plan, announce a vote and conservatives bail. Boehner and Cantor have spoken about the need for immigration reform, yet there’s not a shred of urgency among House Republicans to pass it. The two GOP leaders endorsed Obama’s proposal to launch military attacks on Syria, yet just a few dozen Republicans — at most — agreed with them. The farm bill that Cantor oversaw remains unfinished. The appropriations process has been a debacle, as House Republicans have violated their own budget guidelines. And in private discussions, GOP leadership aides acknowledge they have absolutely no idea how they’ll lift the $16.7 trillion debt ceiling. That deadline hits in mid-October.” http://politi.co/17YxXmX

-- What’s the likelihood of a shutdown on Oct. 1? “Waiting until next week is not fatal for the House. But it is ominous and shows the struggle facing Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) with his fractious conference,” writes our own David Rogers. “Given all the other problems facing Congress, passing a short-term CR ought not to be so difficult, yet in this case Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) must battle not only their own right but an aggressive set of conservatives in the Senate, egging on the resistance. In response, Cantor resurrected an old legislative gambit this week which had been used before in a similar situation in 2011. House members would be assured a vote on the CR as well as defunding health reform. Moreover, the Senate would have to address both issues as well. But even this has not been enough for conservatives, since it doesn’t guarantee the outcome they want.” http://politi.co/15VVkf9

-- Senate Republicans are divided on the House’s budget approach, and some say opposition from tea-party senators like Ted Cruz and Mike Lee has fueled the rebellion among House conservatives, Burgess Everett writes for POLITICO: “‘They’re screwing us,’ fumed a House GOP aide who had hoped that giving Senate Republicans yet another opportunity to unanimously oppose Obamacare would be enough to satisfy two of the most prominent Senate conservatives.” http://politi.co/1at6mwg

** A message from the Reagan Presidential Foundation: Registration has opened for “The Reagan National Defense Forum: Building Peace Through Strength Through 2025.” Speakers include Secretary Chuck Hagel, General Martin Dempsey, Secretary John McHugh, Admiral Jonathan Greenert, SASC Chairman Carl Levin and HASC Chairman “Buck” McKeon.

HILL DUBIOUS ABOUT W.H. SYRIA PLAN – Manu Raju writes for the hometown paper: “Over the past two weeks, senior White House officials mounted the most intense bipartisan lobbying campaign they have ever conducted on Capitol Hill — with Obama administration officials speaking with more than 370 House members and at least 93 senators — to persuade lawmakers to back the president on Syria. But according to many House and Senate members from both parties, the briefings were a flop: They raised more questions than answers and failed to persuade skeptical lawmakers to back a use-of-force resolution.

-- “Congress is off the hook — for now — as Obama is pursuing diplomatic options with Russia before seeking any vote on military force in Syria. If diplomacy fails, the Senate may resume consideration of a resolution, calling for ‘limited and tailored’ strikes of up to 90 days while prohibiting the use of combat forces on the ground. But the lingering questions from lawmakers span the gamut. Many express frustration that there is no clear answer on what would happen if the U.S. were to launch a ‘limited’ military campaign against Syrian President Bashar Assad. The failure to win over lawmakers in both chambers underscores the bind the White House finds itself in: If diplomacy fails, Congress is unlikely to go along either.

-- “Even supporters of military action in Syria are frustrated that the administration’s sales job floundered…. ‘Their message is just so muddled,’ [Tennessee Republican Sen. Bob] Corker told POLITICO Wednesday. ‘Different audiences, they stress different things. … They keep trying to find some footing that makes them feel good, or the audience feel good; it’s been the most muddled thing I’ve ever seen in my life.’” http://politi.co/1eldSOU

-- Corker to CNN’s Dana Bash: “The president just seems to be very uncomfortable being commander in chief of this nation.” Watch here:http://bit.ly/15kM3QZ

-- But W.H. outreach to the Hill is continuing. Chief of Staff Denis McDonough will host freshman House Republicans at the White House later today. http://politi.co/15ltoVt

PUTIN PENS OP-ED IN THE TIMES: IT’S DANGEROUS FOR AMERICA TO SEE ITSELF AS EXCEPTIONAL – Russian President Vladamir V. Putin writes in the New York Times: “The potential strike by the United States against Syria, despite strong opposition from many countries and major political and religious leaders, including the pope, will result in more innocent victims and escalation, potentially spreading the conflict far beyond Syria’s borders. A strike would increase violence and unleash a new wave of terrorism. It could undermine multilateral efforts to resolve the Iranian nuclear problem and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and further destabilize the Middle East and North Africa. It could throw the entire system of international law and order out of balance. …

-- “No one doubts that poison gas was used in Syria. But there is every reason to believe it was used not by the Syrian Army, but by opposition forces, to provoke intervention by their powerful foreign patrons, who would be siding with the fundamentalists. Reports that militants are preparing another attack — this time against Israel — cannot be ignored. It is alarming that military intervention in internal conflicts in foreign countries has become commonplace for the United States. Is it in America’s long-term interest? I doubt it. Millions around the world increasingly see America not as a model of democracy but as relying solely on brute force, cobbling coalitions together under the slogan ‘you’re either with us or against us.’ But force has proved ineffective and pointless. Afghanistan is reeling, and no one can say what will happen after international forces withdraw. Libya is divided into tribes and clans. In Iraq the civil war continues, with dozens killed each day. In the United States, many draw an analogy between Iraq and Syria, and ask why their government would want to repeat recent mistakes. …

-- “My working and personal relationship with President Obama is marked by growing trust. I appreciate this. I carefully studied his address to the nation on Tuesday. And I would rather disagree with a case he made on American exceptionalism, stating that the United States’ policy is ‘what makes America different. It’s what makes us exceptional.’ It is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional, whatever the motivation. There are big countries and small countries, rich and poor, those with long democratic traditions and those still finding their way to democracy. Their policies differ, too. We are all different, but when we ask for the Lord’s blessings, we must not forget that God created us equal.” http://nyti.ms/16lUdZf

-- THE CIA has begun delivering weapons to rebel fighters in Syria after months of delays, Ernesto Londoño and Greg Miller report on A1 of the Washington Post: http://wapo.st/18dtpgj

THE KOCH BROTHERS’ SECRET BANK -- POLITICO’s Mike Allen and Jim VandeHei have the scoop in their latest “Behind the Curtain” column: “An Arlington, Va.-based conservative group, whose existence until now was unknown to almost everyone in politics, raised and spent $250 million in 2012 to shape political and policy debate nationwide. The group, Freedom Partners, and its president, Marc Short, serve as an outlet for the ideas and funds of the mysterious Koch brothers, cutting checks as large as $63 million to groups promoting conservative causes, according to an IRS document to be filed shortly. The 38-page IRS filing amounts to the Rosetta Stone of the vast web of conservative groups — some prominent, some obscure — that spend time, money and resources to influence public debate, especially over Obamacare.

-- “The group has about 200 donors, paying at least $100,000 each in annual dues. It raised $256 million in the year after its creation in November, 2011, the document shows. And it made grants of $236 million – meaning a totally unknown group was the largest sugar daddy for conservative groups in the last election, second in total spending only to Karl Rove’s American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS, which together spent about $300 million.” http://politi.co/1as7e4g

GOOD THURSDAY MORNING, September 12, 2013, and welcome to The Huddle, your play-by-play preview of the day’s congressional news. Send tips, suggestions, comments, complaints and corrections to swong@politico.com. If you don't already, please follow me on Twitter @scottwongDC.

TODAY IN CONGRESS – The House is in at 9 a.m. with first and last votes expected between 10:30 and 11:15 a.m. on the No Subsidies Without Verification Act. Senate’s in at 9:30 a.m. and will may continue consideration of the Portman-Shaheen energy efficiency bill.

AROUND THE HILL – Sen. Orrin Hatch gives a keynote at a National Journal fiscal policy summit at 8:30 a.m. the Newseum. A stakeout has been approved for a closed House Intelligence hearing at 9 a.m. in HVC-304. Rep. Henry Waxman and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse hold a press availability after a closed-door meeting on climate change, at 9:45 a.m. in the Rayburn horseshoe lobby. Reps. Henry Cuellar, Mario Diaz-Balart, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and David Valadao join the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute at a press conference in support of immigration reform, at 10:30 a.m. in Cannon 441.

Rep. Earl Blumenauer and Grover Norquist speak on fair taxation of marijuana businesses at 11 a.m. at the House Triangle. Speaker John Boehner holds an on-camera press briefing at 11:30 a.m. in HVC Studio A. Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi will follow at the same location at 1 p.m. Rep. Leonard Lance speaks on the MODDERN Cures Act at 1:30 p.m. at the House Triangle.

NO MONEY, MO’ PROBLEMS – POLITICO’s Manu Raju and Anna Palmer dive in to the GOP’s cash problem: “GOP outside groups are struggling to keep up with the breakneck fundraising pace necessary ahead of the high-stakes election. Next year will be the Republican Party’s best shot at taking the Senate for years to come, since they would need to net six seats, while Democrats have seven seats to defend in states that Mitt Romney won last year. While the underlying reason for the weak fundraising is lingering frustration from 2012, when the Republican Party persuaded deep-pocketed donors to dump in millions, only to see their party lose seats in the House and Senate and Barack Obama take the White House again, there are new concerns, too. In interviews with fundraisers, bundlers and GOP operatives, a perception emerged that the National Republican Senatorial Committee has its own problems — notably a leadership vacuum — that is making the already difficult fundraising environment that much worse.

-- “‘There is a lack of leadership over there and there’s a lack of ownership,’ a Republican bundler said. ‘When [Sen. John] Cornyn was there, he wanted to usher in the majority. He also had [Senate Minority Leader Mitch] McConnell who wanted the majority and had nothing else to worry about, so there was no room for slack. I don’t get the sense that any of those dynamics are in play now.’ The National Republican Senatorial Committee has pulled in $21.7 million this year, nearly $5 million less than what it had in 2009 when Senate Republicans had an even smaller minority and faced a much tougher climb back to the majority. …

-- “Downtowners also put part of the blame on NRSC internal problems. They say some staff are loyal to Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) — the NRSC chairman — and others are loyal to the committee’s vice chairman of finance, Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), who has led much of the initial fundraising efforts after the 2012 cycle. Moreover, several Republicans privately criticize Moran for not spending more time fundraising. Another Republican who was named an NRSC vice chairman, Ted Cruz of Texas, has spent more time creating tea party problems for the Senate GOP than helping with his designated task of grass-roots outreach, Republicans complain. And many Republican senators are doing little to help fill the coffers of the party committee. NRSC Executive Director Rob Collins brushed off the critics, saying that ‘one of the oldest parlor games in D.C. is criticizing the committee.’” http://politi.co/15lJ1Mw

ADELSON LEAVES RAND OFF HIS 2016 LIST – National Journal’s Shane Goldmacher catches up with the Las Vegas billionaire: “Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire Republican whose super PAC spending upended the 2012 GOP presidential primary, has a list of early contenders in 2016—and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky isn’t on it. Although he said ‘it’s far too early’ to speculate about the next presidential field, Adelson rattled off the names of Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.; Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., the 2012 vice presidential nominee; New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie; and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker as presumed candidates. ‘I didn’t even know Ted Cruz was potentially a candidate until somebody pointed it out to me the other day,’ Adelson said of the freshman senator from Texas. Adelson’s early 2016 assessment came in an extensive interview with National Journal earlier this week in which he also said he is considering an expanded involvement in Senate Republican primaries after watching flawed GOP nominees fritter away winnable seats in the last two cycles. ‘We are going to be involved in more primary races than we were before,’ he said.” http://bit.ly/182R8Kb

VITTER STALLS SHAHEEN-PORTMAN ENERGY BILL – Darren Goode and Andrew Restuccia report for POLITICO: “Senators finally took up a major energy bill for the first time in six years Wednesday, calling the bipartisan measure a shining example of how the world’s greatest deliberative body should operate. But within hours, the usual partisan squabbling was threatening to kill it. Majority Leader Harry Reid announced Wednesday evening that he may have to pull the energy-efficiency bill off the floor because of an unrelated dispute with Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) involving Obamacare exchanges. … Vitter brought progress on the bill to a halt Wednesday afternoon by objecting to consideration of other senators’ amendments until he receives a vote on his Obamacare amendment. Later Wednesday evening, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell added to the drama by submitting an amendment that would delay the health care law’s individual mandate for a year. For Pros: http://politico.pro/17rBQSy

ETHICS PANEL WILL CONTINUE REVIEWING THREE MEMBERS – John Bresnahan reports for POLITICO: “The House Ethics Committee won’t move forward with full-scale investigations into four lawmakers — Reps. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), Peter Roskam (R-Ill.), John Tierney (D-Mass.) and Tim Bishop (D-N.Y.) — but will continue to review three of those cases, the secretive panel announced on Wednesday. The panel voted to end outright its review of the allegations against Tierney. The Ethics Committee’s announcement that it will continue to look into Roskam, Bachmann, and Bishop but not launch full-scale investigations is the latest in a growing trend by the panel. The committee has declined to empanel special investigative subcommittees to handle these matters, but then also has refused to end their investigations outright. The cases then sit in limbo, although based on past practice, the members face little chance of sanction by the committee.” http://politi.co/1b8R5Ud

HARASSMENT, DISCRIMINATION CLAIMS DROPPING ON HILL – Seung Min Kim in POLITICO: “The number of formal harassment and discrimination claims on Capitol Hill is dropping. In fiscal 2012, 134 claims alleging harassment and discrimination based on race, gender, age and other factors were filed with the Office of Compliance — a little-known agency that serves as a watchdog for legislative branch workers. In the previous year, 196 such claims were made. Forty-two of those claims were based on allegations involving race, while 35 concerned gender issues while 28 were based on age. … The figures come from a new report being released by the Office of Compliance on Thursday that highlights the various dangers that the more than 30,000 legislative branch employees can face at the congressional workplace — from harassment by co-workers to physical hazards that can cause injury.” http://politi.co/15lLBSy

FORMER FLA. REP. CLAY SHAW DIES AT 74 -- Anthony Man, William E. Gibson and Brittany Wallman write for the Sun-Sentinal: “When former Fort Lauderdale mayor and Republican congressman E. Clay Shaw spoke of ‘My-am-uh,’ he recalled a more genteel time in South Florida politics. His ability to work across party lines defined it. Shaw, a 26-year congressman who drafted a landmark welfare reform law, died Tuesday night after a long bout with lung cancer. He was 74. … Former Republican Gov. Jeb Bush recalled Shaw as a friend and an ally on Everglades restoration. ‘Politics doesn't have to be about elbows and knees and mean-spiritedness,'’ Bush said. ‘Clay Shaw didn't have a mean bone in his body.’ Born in Miami in 1939 and a resident of Fort Lauderdale since the late 1960s, Shaw reflected the Main Street conservative political establishment that once prevailed along South Florida's affluent ‘Gold Coast.’ … Shaw moderated his political stance as the region swelled with retirees from the Northeast and became increasingly Democratic. After surviving close elections and shifts in district boundaries, he suffered a bitter defeat to Democrat Ron Klein in 2006.” http://bit.ly/14Imefs

WEDNESDAY’S TRIVIA WINNER – We had a tie yesterday: David Heymsfeld and Tom Flanagin both correctly answered seconds apart that President William Howard Taft once lived in the home that is now the Syrian embassy. He also died in the house.

TODAY’S TRIVIA – Marda Robillard has today’s question: How many former First Ladies are buried in Arlington Cemetery and who are they? The first person to correctly answer gets a mention in the next day’s Huddle. Email me at swong@politico.com.

GET HUDDLE emailed to your Blackberry, iPhone or other mobile device each morning. Just enter your email address where it says “Sign Up.” http://www.politico.com/huddle/

** A message from the Reagan Presidential Foundation and Library: The Reagan National Defense Forum on November 16, 2013 is bringing together leaders and key stakeholders in the defense community – including members of Congress, civilian officials and military leaders from the Defense Department and industry - to address the health of our national defense and to stimulate a discussion that promotes policies that strengthen the United States military into the future. Registrations is $499 per person. For more information and tickets, please visit www.ReaganFoundation.org/Defense.

The program includes a keynote address by General Dempsey, remarks by Secretary Hagel, and multiple panels including “Counterterrorism in 2025,” “Congress, Industry and the Pentagon” and “The Industrial Base After a Decade of War.”

“My husband would be so pleased to know that his ‘Peace Through Strength’ policies are being discussed again with a focus on today’s new technology and tomorrow’s needs.” – Former First Lady Nancy Reagan